IndieLisboa Lab is a mentoring workshop for film and audiovisual projects, created within the IndieLisboa Festival. Seven Portuguese-language projects will be chosen to participate in two meetings in which the initial idea and motivation, point of view, narrative structure and creative vision, still in the development phase, will be worked on, with the aim of promoting their insertion in the national and international markets.
At the end, authors will have exclusive meetings with producers and market players in meetings facilitated by IndieLisboa.
One of IndieLisboa Lab’s priorities is to work on projects whose characters and narratives focus on diverse and non-hegemonic identity groups, in order to promote dialogue about the creation of new imaginaries and the development of these characters in cinema.
Mentoring will be provided by Fernanda Polacow, screenwriter and script mentor.
Producer Andreia Nunes will provide one day of production consulting.
REGULATIONS
Taking place at two different times (27 to 29 March and 3 to 6 May 2026), candidate projects may be short or feature films, regardless of their genre (fiction, documentary, animation or experimental), in the development stage at the time of application. The authors must be Portuguese screenwriters/filmmakers (or foreigners with permanent residence in Portugal).
The projects will be reviewed by an IndieLisboa selection committee and the selection will be made based on the following criteria:
- Originality of the project and, above all, its point of view;
- Narratives that favour innovative and non-stigmatised representations of characters and contribute to a new perspective in cinema;
- Some experience in writing and development on the part of the applicant, but it is important to note that extensive experience is not necessary, only a life/career/professional trajectory that demonstrates the competence and willingness to carry the project forward;
- The potential of the project in the national and international market.
The project may or may not have an associated producer.
There are no costs associated with participating in the workshop for those selected. Participants in the selected projects are guaranteed accreditation for the festival and access to the activities and sessions of IndieLisboa 2026. If Portuguese-language projects from outside Lisbon/Portugal are chosen, the associated travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the participant. Projects by people living outside Lisbon will not have their accommodation costs covered, but there will be a food allowance.
To apply, you will need:
- Cover letter: Introduce yourself and your project. Briefly describe who you are, what your project is about, where you are in the creative process, and how you think the lab could be useful to you (max. 2000 characters);
- Synopsis: A brief summary of the project, including all the main characters, plot points and the ending (max. 2000 characters);
- Artistic statement: Describe your creative vision for the project (max. 2000 characters);
- Biography (max. 2000 characters);
- Optional: informative materials about the audiovisual approach: still images, video mood board, etc.;
- A link (with password) to a previous audiovisual work.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
January 23, 2026
Applications are made by registering the project via FilmFreeway.
For more info: [email protected]; [email protected].
Selected projects:
For questions and further information: [email protected].